Feb. 2010 Calling all old, new, and wannabe Islanders re. the Staff Party

Sorry to start up a new Feb thread but I wanted to remind all our old friends and let our soon to be new friends know about the Islander Staff Party which will take place during Valentine week at CTI. The tentative date is the 17th on the front lawn.

For our new friends the staff party started way back in 1995 as best we can remember. It was originally held on the island after it was renovated in 1994. This will be the 15th time we've hosted the party. We obviously skipped last year because CTI was being renovated. We are regular guests of CTI and it's a very small way for the group to show our appreciation for everything the wonderful CTI staff does for us.

It is now held on the front lawn so more staff can attend. It will be between shifts so we normally get around 150 staff to show up.

We serve beer, soft drinks, finger food etc. to the staff. This year, because it is the first party after reopening, we intend to give each staff member an Islander t-shirt. ( the saying on the back will remain a secret until Feb.) The other thing we always do is give away small gifts through a raffle. The more gifts we have the better. If you're not going to be there on the 17th and would like to contribute something, Cynthia and I will be there on the 10th or you could give the items to the guest relations staff and ask them to hold for us for the party.

The ladies like toiletries, make up, inexpensive jewelry. The men like sports team caps or t-shirts. Everyone likes small or large stuffed animals, small electrical whatever, toys for their children. We will give away a boom box and probably a couple of inexpensive DVD players as grand prizes.

If you don't go to the Island you can still attend, just bring gifts for the staff.

So far this is the list of people I think are going to be there.
Sorry if I've forgotten you but I'm getting old. Please add you names to the list.

Fred and Cynthia
Kurt and Kim
Mitchell and Christie
Luann and Jim
Dave and Janet
Ron and Heather
Robin and Linda
Dennis and Cindy
Bob and Jackie
Jim and Janet

We'll miss you Rob and Steph (Kirk asked about you and said to say hello)

Nikki and Josh, since I think Heather posted a pic with you guys and you were at CTI 2 years ago, I think you will qualify as Islanders....There will of course be an iniation.....

You regulars out there please add anything else I may have forgotten to mention.

Great Nikki, we can use all the gifts everyone brings.
The staff loves everything. We're off to go skiing tomorrow so Cynthia is out shopping for gifts as well. There aren't any deals to be had out in Jackson Hole.

Fred & Cynthia
Can't believe we are going to miss this - it sounds like a great event/party. Danny and I aren't scheduled back at the island until September - Maybe next year. Can we send gifts if we aren't going to be there maybe ship ahead to the resort or send them to you we would love to contribute?
Mary

Hey Fred & Cynthia !!! I read your notice that the Valentine party will be on the 17th. We have wonderful gifts for the staff . What time does the party get going?? We are leaving for CN at 2:30. Will we be OK with time ?????
Thanks,
Bob

While Fred is skiing in Jackson Hole (without a computer), he asked me to keep an eye on this thread and answer any questions that may pop up.
Re: shipping gifts: I suppose you could do it, but be sure to ship early (might be too late already - mail is notoriously slow in Jamaica), and include a cover letter indicating that the package is for the Islander staff party in February. If you choose not to risk it, the Issa Trust Foundation (www.issatrustfoundation.com)is a great cause.
Re: time of party: we usually leave the island around 03:00 to get set up, and start the party around 04:00.
See you all in a couple weeks!

Thanks, Kurt
I'm going to check into shipping and get an approximate time and decide if it will make it in time. As far as the Issa Trust Foundation I am already a regular donator and agree they are a great cause. If I decide to ship do you know how I would get the address so it would be delivered directly to the resort?

Staff Party Was Great

As expected we had a great staff party on the 17th of Feb. Unexpectedly we had the party in the staff canteen which is in the back over the kitchen. It's normally on the front lawn but it rained all day so by the time I got back in from my dive Cynthia and management had decided to have it in the canteen. I'm sure the canteen had never hosted a group of 150 (at least) staff and 50 islanders before but it worked out well.

We started off by thanking the staff and then singing the Jamaican hymn "something good is going to happen, we'll be together again". They can really belt out a tune.

We raffled off at least 150 items including 2 dvd players, a water proof watch for one of the beach guys and lots of women's items and stuffed animals. And of course everyone got an Islander t-shirt. We had 400 printed up and all were gone. Next year we need to bring more action DVDs for the guys.

Thanks to the Islander crew for bring down suitcases full of presents and to CTI Management for once again- the 15th time allowing us to express our thanks to the staff.

Fred, Cynthia, Rob and Stef

Hi to you all. We had a great time with you this winter. Sad to report, Clayt was killed in a tragic tractor accident yesterday and our lives have been turned upside down. One minute he was here, the next he was gone. I'm not sure how my girls and I are going to get through this. I was thinking today for the first time in 40 years, I am no longer a part of a "couple", therefore, I probably won't be back to Couples. Thanks so much for all your help when he had his trouble this winter. He came back, did his mri, his cat scan and had gotten a clean bill of health. Sometimes, life is so short and just doesn't seem fair. Our lives have been changed forever.
Hugs
April